BASTA!: Companies and social organizations united against poverty

Our first BASTA! meeting in collaboration with Rabobank (Market Team North) took place on June 22. BASTA! stands for Businesses in Amsterdam Together Against Poverty. The idea is for businesses to provide tangible assistance to social organizations that contribute to various aspects of poverty alleviation and make a difference in this way.> We, as Volunteer Center Amsterdam, have selected seven social organizations that are active in Amsterdam North in combating poverty and have a specific, non-financial need.
> Companies in Amsterdam North have been invited by Rabobank to offer help together.

Two short questions to test your knowledge of poverty:

1) How many Amsterdammers live at or below the poverty line? *1 in 20
1 in 10
1 in 5

2) What percentage of Amsterdammers have contact with someone who is a family member, friend, or neighbor less than once a week? *2%
7%
14%

* the correct answers are at the bottom of this article

Pitching for materials, manpower, and resources

Inspired by these facts, the assistance requests from the social organizations began.
Each gave a one-minute pitch.
The participating companies then looked at how they could offer help. This help can consist of providing materials (goods, spaces), manpower (hands, knowledge, skills), and resources (network).

The participating social organizations and help requests:

• Social Services Doras:10-15 Laptops with internet connection for participants of the neighborhood work.
• Dock Foundation:
  Renewal and expansion of the cooling/freezing capacity for the projectSonja Cooks
• Florakokjes Foundation:A mobile kitchen for cooking with kids from low-income families
  Teambuilding: to strengthen the team and to make a professionalization step
  First Aid courses
• Noorderpark sports initiatives:Sports equipment and sportswear for adults
• On and Back stage:Assistance with setting up a crowdfunding campaign to get a (mini)bus. A bus where approximately 20 rollators can fit.
• Foundation Bildung:Cooling spaces where food crates fit and roll containers to move these crates
• Food Garden IJplein:Wood for the food garden fence and hands to install it.

Social organization: “It was exciting for a moment, but thanks to Vera van Os’s pitching masterclass, I was able to do the pitch well.”

Participating companies:

• Café-restaurant Noorderlicht, Krijn van Santen
• Brewery OedipusHello,Rosa Smook
• The Yoga Studio, Karin Weinberg
• Fronteer Strategy ConsultancyHello,James Veenhoff
• The Good RollHello,Desiree van Geldorp
• A’dam&CoHello,Lidewij Berckenkamp and Zep Fransen
• JCIHello,Iris Gelten

Present on behalf of Rabobank were: Martijn Schneider, René Bakker, Bob Dobbelstein, Stefanie Wismeier, Ruben Hulsbergen, and Wanda Vandrovska.

What has it yielded?

Social organization: “Thank you for all the tips and advice and your dedication”

Some requests for help could be fulfilled immediately, and general assistance was also offered. For example, The Good Roll donates kitchen paper and toilet paper to all social organizations interested. Efforts are now underway to match and fulfill all requests. Not all requests for help have been fully met yet. Therefore, the participating companies will soon share the pitches via social media in their own networks. This way, we can achieve even more impact together. Soon all matches will be listed in a row.For now, we thank all participants for their presence and boundless enthusiasm and dedication!
If you would like to know more about this project or are interested in participating next time, please contact [contact information].Rachida.

The correct answers from above:

Question 11 in 5 Amsterdammers lives at or below the poverty line
Question 27% have contact with someone who is part of their family, friends, or neighbors less than once a week.